If you really want our company, keep flushing wet wipes down the toilet, plumbers say
Understand that local plumbers are not complaining, but some have noticed a decided uptick in the number of clogged toilet calls.
Other plumbers who have not seen an increase in calls are expecting one soon.
Clogged drains and pipes are being caused by people who are flushing things down the toilet that should not be flushed.
People without toilet paper are starting to use alternatives such as Kleenex, wet wipes and other paper products that may be biodegradable, but do not break down as well as toilet paper when immersed in water.
The Kleenex, wet wipes and other things that people are using in the place of toilet paper are clogging toilets and causing sanitation issues, plumbers say. They advise putting those items in the trash instead.
Plumbers are also saying there is no real substitute for toilet paper.
Rod Winn, owner of Bedford-based HEB Plumbing, said his call volume on clogs has just about doubled.
“This is nothing new,” Winn said. “It’s just happening more right now because people cannot find toilet paper. There is really no substitute. People were doing what they can to have something to fall back on.”
“Plumbers really don’t make that much money unstopping drains. Now we’re getting calls from everyone and their dog. It’s better than just sitting around doing nothing, but it’s not a big money maker.”
Jeff Longspaugh, chief operating officer at Clearwater Plumbers in Fort Worth, said about the same time the grocery store shelves began emptying out, his office began receiving maybe twice as many calls about clogged toilets from people flushing whatever they could flush down the toilets.
“What we’ve noticed this past weekend it has trended down, maybe because some people are a little more fearful of having people in their house,” Longspaugh said on Monday. “Today it’s picking back up after being a little down over the weekend.”
Most of the issues are found in pre-1980s homes where the neighborhoods have more established trees and cast-iron or concrete pipes, Longspaugh said. The cast-iron pipes will develop scaly deposits the paper products will cling to and build up on, and over time this will create a blockage, he said.
The newer homes with PVC pipes are less susceptible to the problem, but are not immune, Longspaugh said. The ground will shift, tree roots will infiltrate the pipes, and can also cause a blockage over time, he said.
How long the run on toilet paper and the subsequent issues caused by the buying frenzy will last is an unknown, Longspaugh said.
He said he understands the manufacturers are cranking the stuff out as fast as they can.
“Eventually, whoever is buying all the toilet paper will figure out they have enough,” Longspaugh said.
What some plumbers also are talking about is the lack of protective gear and cleaning supplies and having to go into homes without them.
Going into homes when you do not have gloves and cleaning solutions has become kind of frightening. And, when your water is shut off, it becomes more difficult for people to clean, plumbers are saying.
Mike Harris, plumbing operations manager for the Southlake area for Berkeys Plumbing, said he just got a shipment of masks and is exploring the option of making his own cleaning solution with bleach and water.
“We actually have had to have those shipped in and we have given all our plumbers masks and rubber gloves and wipes to try and keep their tools clean and other equipment clean,” Harris said.
But Winn said Monday that he had been shopping all over for masks, gloves, cleaning supplies and other personal protection equipment and has not been able to find any. People are buying up those items also, in addition to buying up all the toilet paper.
“We are meeting new people all the time and touching everything that they have touched,” Winn said. “Anyone who goes into a house where someone is infected needs that gear. It’s an issue. I’m sending my guys right into the line of fire.”
